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## Chapter Three
**169. Description:** The description is the same as before. It has been said that the Jambudvipa is surrounded by a Vedika. Beyond that is the Lavanasamudra, a sea with a circumference of two hundred thousand yojanas. Beyond that is the Dhaataki-khanda, an island with a circumference of four hundred thousand yojanas.
**8429. To understand the number of years, etc., the following sutra is given:**
The Dhaataki-khanda has twice the number of regions and mountains, etc., as the Jambudvipa. ||33||
**8430.** The repetition of the regions like Bharat, etc., is intended here.
**Question:** Why is the suffix "suc" used in the sutra?
**Answer:** The suffix "suc" is used to indicate the repetition of the action that is being added to the sentence. For example, in the sentence "This palace is twice as big," the suffix "suc" indicates that the palace is two-storied. Similarly, in the Dhaataki-khanda, the suffix "suc" indicates that the regions like Bharat, etc., are twice as big.
**Explanation:** The Dhaataki-khanda is divided into two parts, the eastern Dhaataki-khanda and the western Dhaataki-khanda, by two mountains called Ishvaakara, which are shaped like arrows and touch the Lavanasamudra and the Kalodaka at their ends. These mountains run from south to north. In the middle of these two parts, there are two Mandaras, or Meru mountains. On both sides of these Mandaras are the regions like Bharat, etc., and the mountains like Himavan, etc. Thus, the number of regions and mountains in the Dhaataki-khanda is twice that of the Jambudvipa. For example, there are two Bharats, two Himavans, etc. The circumference of the Himavan, etc., in the Dhaataki-khanda is twice that of the Jambudvipa. These mountains are situated in the middle of the regions, like the spokes of a wheel. The regions are shaped like the holes in a wheel. In the Jambudvipa, there is a Jambudvipa tree. In the Dhaataki-khanda, there is a Dhaataki tree with its family of trees. The island is named Dhaataki-khanda because of this tree. The Kalodaka sea surrounds this island. Its shore looks as if it has been cut by a tank. The extent of the Bharat region is one-eighth of the total extent of the Dhaataki-khanda, which is five hundred twenty-six and six-nineteenths yojanas.